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A little bit of luck

Loveland native works for two pro teams in Colorado

By Cris Tiller Sports Writer

Posted:
07/10/2013 09:17:23 PM MDT

Colorado Rapids equipment manager Brandy Lay looks on as players warm up before a game at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Lay worked with the Colorado Rockies for seven years before eventually ending up with the Rapids.
(
Garrett W. Ellwood
)

Life can work in mysterious ways.

Who you know, decisions you make and being in the right place at the right time all seem so random, yet are all so important. There's no way to describe it other than pure luck.

Brandy Lay knows this all too well.

Now, Lay serves as the equipment manager for the Colorado Rapids, but the journey there was a series of good fortune.

Lay grew up in Loveland with a passion for sports. He played high school basketball and football at Thompson Valley and went on to play college football as a defensive back for Bethany College in Kansas. Careers in the sports world are hard to come by, but the first bit of luck came Lay's way -- his name.

The summer before his senior year of college, Lay got an internship working for Channel 2 in Denver, working with the sportscasters on video and other various tasks, but it his unusual name that Lay gives the credit to for his first big break.

"I was incredibly lucky to be honest," Lay said. "Even going back to the internship, I was wondering if I got the internship because the guy thought I was a girl with a name like Brandy. I think I lucked into a phone interview."

Luck or not, Lay impressed the people he worked with enough that one sportscaster recommended him for an internship with the newly founded Colorado Rockies in their in-game entertainment department.

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For two years Lay put together packages shown on the Jumbotron in old Mile HighStadium. His attention to detail and meticulous work effort that made him successful as a collegiate athlete shined through on every project he did with the Rockies.

One highlight package that stuck out in the mind of friend and former coworker Eric Brummond was a series of Larry Walker hits set to the music of Metallica's 'Enter Sandman'.

"When it was done, there wasn't one second of that when you thought it was out of time," Brummond said.

Colorado Rapids players celebrate the victory over the Montreal Impact with the coaching staff at Stade Saputo. Lay is in charge of making sure players have everything they need for training and games.
(
Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
)

Lay moved from an intern, to part-time employee, to full-time, eventually ending up at the Director of Team Travel, managing a budget of $2.5 million for two seasons. But by the end of 2000, it seemed Lay's luck might have run out.

New General Manager Dan O'Dowd came in and cleared out current staff members and replaced them with people of his own. After seven years working a dream job, Lay was let go in favor of "going in a different direction."

"It was amazing (working for the Rockies). I'm a Colorado native and always wanted to work in sports and never wanted to leave," he said. "It was an amazing thing to be a part of their first few years. Every aspect of it was fun at the time. It lasted semi-long, but not as long as I would have imagined. Certainly I'll look back on my time there with nothing but admiration."

A job with Comcast gave Lay a steady career for seven more years, but it didn't scratch the itch he had for sports. Brummond ran his own production company called Ruckus Media and gave Lay side jobs as a technical director during Air Force football games. The jobs were enough to satisfy him.

Maybe Lay's greatest attribute is his ability to connect with people. He credits luck, but something has to be said for gaining the respect of the right people.

"He's just one of those guys who's a glue guy," Brummond said. "He is detailed, he's a funny guy and so that's a fun person to be around. He's one of those guys who everyone likes being around."

Vice President of Commercial Operations for the Rapids, Jeff Jacobsen, kept his eye open for positions Lay could be a fit for. For the second time in his professional career, Lay caught a lucky break.

A job as the equipment manager was opening up and Jacobsen told Lay the job could be his if he wanted it. He interviewed on a Wednesday and was on a plane to Honolulu for training by Sunday.

"When I was with the Rockies doing the travel, the equipment manager was the guy I worked closest with," Lay said. "We basically worked hand-in-hand so I had seen all the stuff that goes on behind the scenes and what the job entailed, so I was 'like yeah, absolutely.'"

For the past year and a half, Lay makes sure players have everything they need, home or away. It's a small job he says, but people would notice if nobody did it.

"I do things thinking about how I'd want them done if I were the athlete, so the way we set up I think back to how I would have liked it for me when I was in college," he said. "So I think having the same mindset sort of helps."

Working for two different professional teams isn't too bad for a guy that loves sports. Some luck.

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